"Sublime" period drama with Bill Nighy is the "wonderful" movie to watch this weekend

The acclaimed 2020 version of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma has recently found itself a new streaming home in the UK, so it seems like the perfect time to have it as our film recommendation for this weekend.

The plot follows a rich woman – the titular Emma – who likes to spend her time meddling in other people's romantic affairs and playing matchmaker.

Unfortunately, Emma's plans to set up her friend Harriet Smith backfire when a scandal erupts.

Who stars in Emma?

• Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma
• Johnny Flynn as George
• Mia Goth as Harriet
• Miranda Hart as Miss Bates
• Bill Nighy as Mr Woodhouse
• Josh O'Connor as the Reverend
• Callum Turner as Frank
• Amber Anderson as Jane
• Rupert Graves as Mr Weston
• Gemma Whelan as Mrs Weston
• Tanya Reynolds as Mrs Elton
• Connor Swindells as Robert

What did critics say about Emma?

On Rotten Tomatoes, Emma has a very impressive 86% positive score from 260 critic reviews.

"It's funnier than most Austen adaptations and more visually beautiful," wrote the San Francisco Chronicle, while Baltimore Magazine said the film "pulls off a wonderful oxymoron: It's a substantial confection".

News.com.au called it "an amusing, pastel-coloured movie which fully embraces the rhythm of Austen's dialogue". Meanwhile Austin Chronicle wrote: "Witty, wry, spry, and deliciously and effortlessly romantic, this is Austen as she is supposed to be."

Interestingly, audiences didn't seem to respond as well, with the film sitting at an average score of 6.7/10 on IMDb.

One fan who did like it called it "a simply sublime piece of comic entertainment", while another called it a "fine production, if not the best Emma out there".

Where can I watch Emma online?

Emma was previously only available to stream in the UK with a Netflix subscription, but it's now also available as part of the Prime Video library as well.

Other Bill Nighy films to stream now?

You can see Nighy as part of another strong ensemble in both Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films on Disney+, which is also home to his villainous turn as Davy Jones in the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean films.

And if you're the kind of person who doesn't think it's too early in the year to watch Love Actually, it's currently available on ITVX.

Emma can be streamed now on Netflix and Prime Video.

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton's life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.

Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.